Policy Issues Covered:

Findings About Efforts by Local Government to Address Homelessness:

Only 24 of the 88 cities in Los Angeles County report making any expenditures for homeless services or housing.

Expenditures among cities making outlays range from $25.21 per capita in Pasadena to $.01 per capita in Bellflower.

A combination of sticks (e.g., loss of community development block grants) and carrots (e.g., access to special state and federal housing development funds) is probably required to bring about broad based city involvement in addressing homelessness.

Over half of existing local outlays for homeless residents are made by county government.

To end homeless the region must:

Spend more money (current outlays equal roughly half of what is needed)

Use money more effectively (currently the LA Homeless Services Authority sets no outcome goals for what homeless programs are expected to accomplish)